🌷 Chapter Forty-Two –
If you are an aristocratic person, you must have at least one exquisite and luxurious painting.
There was also a gallery room of paintings in the Floris Palace, however, it was filled with paintings of Maria, not Theodore.
Theodore hated the time he had to spend while sitting motionless in front of the painter to paint a picture, and this was the little thing that Annette and Theodore had in common.
Annette refused to paint a fresco for her, but Theodore brought in a painter nonetheless.
He thought it would be fun to watch her sit still while she hated it.
Theodore stood in front of the room where the painter was painting, expecting to see Annette purse her little lips cutely in dissatisfaction.
The drawing room was located in the farthest corner of the quiet Flores mansion, so no one passed by.
That's why the door was open.
Theodore saw Annette who was in the middle of the sunny room.
Theodore calmly leaned his body against the doorway and stared at Annette with his arms crossed.
Annette was standing upright in the middle of the room with her back straight.
It was more convenient for her than sitting.
The heavy dress seemed to bother her, so she stood up and closed her eyes quietly.
Her stamina was so weak that it would be difficult for her to remain still like this for a long time.
But it was a pity that she had her eyes closed.
Her light green eyes were what made Theodore most feel like he was looking at her true self, but she was closing them now.
He should tell the artist to be careful when drawing her eyes and be careful to emphasize their shape so that they look more like her real eyes, or perhaps he will ask him to draw her eyes in a separate painting inside the most luxurious decorative frames available.
But he wondered if there was a framework that could express the magnificence of that woman in a way that would do her justice.
As Theodore looked at her shiny hair down to her slim neckline, he noticed the dress she was wearing.
This painting was a commemoration of their wedding.
Since no real wedding took place, they wanted to leave at least one painting documenting that event.
So today Annette was wearing a white wedding dress.
Theodore had heard that dark-colored wedding dresses were popular these days, but her dress was pure white, similar to snow white.
Theodore had always thought that Annette had translucent white skin, but compared to the soft lace of the dress, her color was obviously different.
Annette's color was a special color that belonged only to Annette and was not found anywhere else.
Just as she was painting his world in bright colors that he had never seen before.
Having carried the tattoo of slavery on his back, Annette lit up his world, which had always been dark to the bottom.
And now she was wearing a wedding dress...
The dress worn at a wedding…
Wedding…
After the wedding ceremony, the two people become married...
Then…
The first night comes...
Theodore's thoughts went to a place he had never imagined before.
Even the day he had a real wedding with Paula Stadler in the past, he naturally thought about the procedures after the wedding but he had never thought of this idea before.
But anyway...
Why is Annette wearing such an revealing dress?
Because of the type of dress, Annette's body was exposed under the sheer lace dress...
The painter was a man.
When Theodore thought that the painter was looking at Annette's half-exposed body, his breathing suddenly quickened.
He wanted to immediately go in and cover Annette's body and throw the painter out, but he backed out at the last moment.
Theodore had no right to do that.
Although Annette was his wife, his bride, and the woman who promised to obey him, Theodore had no relationship with Annette nor the right to interfere in her personal life.
Just as his mother had never wanted anything from his father except marriage, he could ask nothing of Annette except to uphold her responsibilities as Grand Duchess.
Theodore remembered his parents' wedding painting that was hanging somewhere in the painting room, and dark memories about his mother and his childhood surfaced in his mind.
When his eyes became cloudy, he wanted to leave that place that had suddenly become stifling and dark.
When Theodore was about to turn around, Annette opened her eyes as if she felt it.
The moment their eyes met...
Annette smiled brightly.
"my dear!"
Theodore's eyes widened when he heard the friendly nickname Annette called him for the first time.
There's no way this woman meant him, right...?
Exactly as expected.
“Your Highness has come, so let’s stop here today.”
Once again, Theodore was taken advantage of.
This was a ploy by Annette to get out of this boring situation.
Theodore had no choice but to give up the idea of leaving and approached Annette willingly, but Annette stumbled as she stepped towards him to greet him.
Her legs seemed to be stiff from standing for so long.
However, her body was extremely weak.
Theodore reached out and grabbed her arm so that she wouldn't fall to the ground, so Annette was surprised and looked at Theodore, then she laughed shyly and grabbed his arm affectionately and leaned her head on his shoulder.
The embarrassed painter withdrew from the room without hesitation at the sight of the loving couple before him.
Theodore felt a little better at the thought of having shown the painter that he, Annette's official husband, was the only one who could stand while linking arm with Annette's.
Of course, the painter had no idea what Theodore was thinking.
When the painter left the room, Annette immediately removed her arms from Theodore's arms and turned away from him.
Theodore almost unknowingly grabbed her arm again, but he pulled back and pulled his hand away without knowing why.
Annette, unaware of what was happening behind her, sprinted to the window and sat down on the floor while leaning her back against the window seat, then began to dangle to the floor.
"Don't you know how to use a chair?
Why do you keep sitting on the floor?
A window seat is a chair made for normal people to sit on."
“But sitting on the floor is more comfortable.
I didn’t know that standing still with my mouth closed was such hard work.”
“While you are complaining like this in front of me, you were standing there quietly without saying a word in front of that painter, why are you so mean to me?”
“Of course, standing upright is my specialty, but… You can simply take a photograph of me, but why should we paint a portrait?
Portraits are completely impractical, they are just a waste of time.
Why should you hire a painter for months when you can just press the camera button and take a picture in a second?”
"A painting and a photograph are obviously two very different things.
We couldn't even have a proper wedding, so I must leave a proper painting as the Grand Duchess."
“I know that, so I'm cooperating with you.”
“What kind of cooperation is this when you had strange expressions on your face while painting the painting?”
“Are you kidding me?
It’s a painting of a grand duchess, so I should put on a dignified expression or something.”
“Have you ever seen a painting where the owner isn't even laughing?
You looked like we were painting a picture of you at gunpoint.”
“You mean like this?”
A gentle smile formed on Annette's face as she raised the corners of her mouth...
And it was beautiful too.
Although Theodore knew that it was a forced smile, it looked very beautiful and charming.
It was that smile that captured the hearts of all the nobles in Lider City.
Annette, the evil woman, never had such a beautiful and charming smile, but it only made Theodore more anxious.
Occasionally, when the evil Annette smiled faintly while covering her face with a fan, the men standing next to her would almost fall flat while dancing and even step on their partners' feet.
At future parties, it seemed that more men would be attracted to Annette, so a crackdown seemed necessary.
But with such a charming smile, Theodore thought that it would be easier to crack down on all the men in Laider instead of suppressing only the nobles who attended parties.
Among the Laider nobles, it was common for married women to meet other men and cheat on their husbands.
But Theodore and Annette weren't even a real couple, so if a handsome and elegant-looking man approached her, even Annette might want to date.
This is because love is what makes boring everyday life pass quickly.
However, since their marriage is rumored to be love, she shouldn't find a lover too quickly.
Theodore began to think about which of the men he knew could compete with him and tried to get closer to Annette in order to be able to get rid of him before it was too late and Annette fell in love with him.
But no matter how he thought about it, there was no man more handsome than him in this empire, so it wouldn't be a big problem if she met other men…
Then suddenly Hugo came to mind.
Although Annette is not interested in Hugo now, what if her body remembers her love for him and is instinctively drawn to him?
While Theodore was struggling with these thoughts, Annette was complaining about the worthless painting.
He couldn't hear her well because of the terrifying thoughts that flooded his head, but a few words stuck to his ear and resonated clearly in his mind.
"Honestly, I don't understand your actions.
Why would we take such an unnecessary action?
In the first place, we won't live as a couple for the rest of our lives, so wouldn't it be better not to paint the painting in the first place?
When you look at the painting later, you will remember these dark times and regret what you are doing now.
And it will even take months to complete the painting.
What if I return to my world before then?"
Parting words came out of Annette's mouth.
Theodore saw her in a wedding dress and thought of eternity, but Annette could think of nothing but getting away from him and going back to where she belonged.
This was his mistake and misunderstanding.
Annette was so right.
Their relationship was a relationship that would disappear, so there was no need to leave evidence of it for posterity as a painting.
Instead, Annette's presence in this world was to be a secret presence that had to be erased as quietly as possible from Odentia's history without a trace.
Theodore bitterly abandoned all his rosy fantasies and returned to the harsh ground of reality.
His wife was still beautiful and transparent...
Like an illusion that will soon disappear.
“Actually, I visited the painting gallery earlier.”
Annette said these words somewhat cautiously.
“I only went to see it because the painter said it would be nice to do a pose similar to the wedding of the former Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.”
Theodore understood the reason for her cautious tone.
After he told her about his past with his mother, Annette became more cautious when talking about his parents.
In fact, Theodore considered his past a simple thing and had already forgotten it, but Annette cared about him.
“You may hate me saying things like that, but you look a lot like His Majesty the former Emperor Dominic.”
“Unfortunately.”
“I don’t know if this is treason or disobedience to religion.”
Annette frowned as if thinking about which two words were more appropriate.
"But come to think of it, you are already a traitor to the empire, aren't you?
You will complete your disobedience completely soon.
Fighting between you and your brother is not enough, so you are also trying to oust your nephew from the throne.
If this is not treason, what is?"
“Am I guilty in your opinion?”
“I am also guilty of helping you.”
Annette looked at him, then hurriedly turned her face away and began to stare out the window.
Today was the day before the hunting festival began.
“The competition will start tomorrow.”
“I will definitely win this time.”
“I will win too.”
“Shall we bet on who will win among us?”
"Great.
Whoever finds the most useful prey will win."
“You don't just have to find it, you have to hunt it too.”
“Of course.
So may the hunting goddess bless us both, you and me.”
Annette approached Theodore, raised her foot, and kissed him on the forehead.